Renji Meets His Match
by Chino Kusannagi
Summary: After Muramasa's Zanpakuto Rebellion: Renji picks a fight with a female recent academy grad. This becomes a surprisingly big mistake as her abilities are more than Renji can handle when he demands to fight her in the tournament to decide the new seated officers. Was Renji's decision for a grudge match a good idea? Will his opponent survive the battle? Will the zanpakuto intervene?
1. Signs of Recovery

**Author's Note:**** I only own the original character I created, Kiara Otonashi. **

It has been a while since I have seen the arc with Muramasa's zanpakuto rebellion so some characters may be a little out of character.  
This chapter mostly just sets up the rest of the story so there isn't much action just yet.

The first three chapters are more humorous until the battle begins at Chapter 4 where the adventure part of the genre comes in (and for me adventure = action due to the lack of 'action' as a genre choice.)

* * *

**Chapter 1: **_**Signs of Recovery**_

Only days after the defeat of Muramasa Soul Society began to calm down.

'_With the exception of our zanpakuto appearing whenever they feel like it, this would be a fine day_,' thought Kira.

He was taking his usual walk around Seireitei, stopping by the barracks of his friends divisions. Sometimes he would watch the squads train or even help out as a referee for sparing matches. Then he would return to his own division to oversee his own squad's training. He typically finished by taking care of paperwork and other duties left to him as the acting Captain. Like the other shinigami, the zanpakuto rebellion had affected Kira. Seeing the devastation left behind, including the results of so many needless deaths bothered Kira. Knowing his own zanpakuto, Wabisuke, had contributed to the problem only made things worse.

Before all this happened Kira had a depressed look to him, but now he looked more depressed than usual. He needed to see signs of recovery among the squads to feel better. Drinking with Hisagi, Renji, Momo, and Matsumoto sure wasn't helping much. The occasions when Iba, Ikkaku, and Yumichika joined in weren't much better. (Just one big gripe fest.) All that did was make him spew nonsense and look like a fool with a hangover as a reward for his efforts.

One good thing Kira learned during his daily routine was that many of the injured were injured were starting to return to their squads. The second good thing he learned was that those of lower rank who survived the rebellion were showing signs of being stronger because of it. Some shinigami were rumored to have earned promotions and transfers to other squads because of their performance. As a result, part of Kira's routine revolved around watching those shinigami particular as he came to their respective barracks. Never did Kira approach them. He didn't feel he should.  
If they wanted to talk to him he was fine with that, but most of the other shinigami didn't take notice of him.

Since he was always so quiet (aside from when drunk) Kira never really stood out. Without his lieutenant badge other shinigami would never have guessed he was a high ranking officer. Not that it mattered to Kira. He preferred it that way. There were still people who did not trust his division after Captain (or should he say former Captain) Ichimaru's betrayal so he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Most of the time if he was noticed at all, it was because he was with Renji who seemed to draw attention to himself just by existing. It had been that way since they were at the academy together. Renji was easily noticed with all the tattoos, the wild hair, his loud voice, and his way of being unable to keep his emotions inside. Basically the opposite of Kira who was so conforming to norms he just blended in with the crowd.

Some days he envied his friend for those qualities, especially before that day. Now he was content with his near lack of presence because it helped him avoid pointless confrontations. Outside the walls of the Seireitei he was just another shinigami, not the right hand to a traitor. Now today, partially because of these wandering thoughts, Kira had deviated a bit from his normal routine by walking through the area where the bar he usually went with Renji and the other lieutenants was located instead of heading toward the 3rd division barracks. Without a real destination in mind he walked slowly through some of the side streets to see how the populace outside of Seireitei was getting along.

Apparently he wasn't moving fast enough for the shinigami behind him who was in a rush.

"Hey can I get by? I'm late and you're kind of in the way."

Unfortunately Kira was too lost in his own thoughts of the day's earlier events.

"Hello? Are you listening? I said move it! PLEASE!" the angry young female shinigami shouted impatiently.

Still Kira didn't respond because he hadn't heard her.

"Alright you asked for it. I tried being polite so this is all on you. Here I go!"

Suddenly Kira was knocked to the ground as the other shinigami jumped on his shoulder in her attempt to vault over and past him.

"Next time listen when people are talking to you and you won't get hurt!" was all Kira could make out as the young woman ran off.

'_Who was that_?' Kira thought as he rubbed the sore spot on his right shoulder.  
It wouldn't be long before he found out.

"You really should be more aware of your surroundings," a low voice commented from the opposite end of the alleyway.

Kira looked toward the sound of the voice.

"Wabisuke?"

The gloomy materialized zanpakuto sighed.

"Yes, me. You were taking too long to return so I have come looking for you. Haineko-san and Tobiume-chan told me their wielders requested that you come to the Squad 10 barracks as soon as possible. Apparently many of the lieutenants are going there."

"Do you know why?" Kira asked.

Wabisuke shrugged.  
"They did not say."

"They didn't say because the fools don't know," a now becoming familiar voice called out from behind the sword and its owner.

"Ah, Zabimaru, did Abarai-san tell you by any chance?"

"Yeah he told us. At least whatever he knew anyway, which wasn't much. And how many times have we told you to drop it with the Abarai-san. You two went to school together. There's no need to be formal," Chimpette complained.

"Then that jerk off up and left us without saying where the fights were gonna be!" whined Snakey.

"Fights?" Kira asked with a confused look.

"Yeah. I wanna see that chick that kicked Renji's butt do it again."

Kira was even more confused. None among their female friends had recently challenged Renji to fight that he could remember.

Chimpette decided to explain Snakey's comments.

"Some of the shinigami are getting reassigned and some academy grads still need to be placed. With all the deaths from our little rebellion there were plenty of openings in many of the squads. They are having formal sparring matches to determine where best to place everyone."

"Uh huh, uh huh. And some of the lieutenants were told to help out," Snakey cut in while bouncing on his tail.

"Only for those thought good enough for a seated officer's position so I'm told," Chimpette elaborated while pushing Snakey out of the way.

The two quickly started fighting as Snakey got on Chimpette's back while she tried to choke him with their chain.

"Perhaps the others thought you would want to see the contest. Squad 3 will most likely also be affected by the results," Wabisuke spoke softly.

Kira turned in the direction of the squad 10 barracks and started to leave with Wabisuke following close behind.

"He don't you guys go leaving us behind too!" Zabimaru called as they untangled themselves to run after the Squad 3 lieutenant and his zanpakuto.

"Can't you guys go any faster!" Snakey complained as Zabimaru caught up to them.

"I don't want to miss her fight!" the little snake continued.

Kira shot him a quizzical look.

"He means Kiara Otonashi, a recent grad of the academy and top of her class. She's said to be somewhat of a prodigy with Kidou and has a zanpakuto with unusual abilities," Chimpette explained.

"She's the one who kicked Renji's ass in front of the squad when Rukia asked Byakuya to let her come with her when she visited."

'_That explains a lot_,' Kira thought.

"You may go ahead if you like," Kira prompted,  
"We'll catch up."

Zabimaru didn't hesitate in leaving the others behind, causing Kira to sigh.

"We should try to hurry," Wabisuke stated.

"Why?"

"I have heard rumors that this girl's zanpakuto was one of the first to return to her wielder's command. They then went on to defend their fellow graduates. Even now it is said her zanpakuto can freely materialize when her wielder is in combat."

That was a lot for Wabisuke to say in so short a time. Kira took this to mean his sword was very interested in seeing the pair fight, but did not wish to hurry and in his haste leave his wielder behind. Kira decided to quicken his pace in order to reach the destination not far behind Zabimaru. The two used flash step to reach the Squad 10 barracks as quickly as possible. Kira felt a little guilty since Wabisuke had to carry the slab on his back and the heavy metal ball and chain, but his zanpakuto refused to be carried in sword form. When the pair arrived, Hisagi and Iba waved Kira over.

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**Author's Note:** For updates on this story and any other ones I have written please see my profile. Summaries for all the stories I have written can be found there as well.

If you liked the story please leave a review or favorite if you can. Thanks.


	2. Mounting Tension

**Author's Note:** In this chapter Kira arrives at the tournament grounds and learns a little more about what is going on and has to interfere on a contestant's behalf.  
A little more information is revealed about Kiara Otonashi.

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**Chapter 2: **_**Mounting Tension**_

Suzumebachi flitted around Wabisuke's head telling him where the other materialized zanpakto were so he could join them. Kira watched as a number of lower ranked shinigami quickly backed out of his zanpakto's way as it moved to reach his fellows. Many of the lower ranked shinigami were still fearful of materialized zanpakto since many of their comrades were murdered in or recently recovered from the battles of Muramasa's rebellion. It didn't help that Wabisuke had an intimidatingly frightful appearance (much unlike his wielder).

Such thoughts were pushed aside as Kira was interested in finding out just how much he had missed. Also, he was a little shocked at seeing some of the Captains were present as well.

"Glad you could join us Izuru," Iba started, "we were beginning to think you weren't coming."

"I didn't know there was anything to come to until only a short while ago. Wabisuke gave me a message from Matsumoto-san and Hinamori-chan's zanpakto."

"Most of us knew nothing about it until this morning," Yumichika replied without looking Kira's way.

"Um, … would any of you know if a young woman named Kiara Otonashi has gone yet? Wabisuke and Zabimaru seemed very interested in seeing her and her zanpakto."

Matsumoto giggled.  
"She's over there getting yelled at by my Captain right now. He's so mad he might not let her fight."

Hisagi frowned.  
"That would be unwise. Many of the materialized zanpakto seem quite interested in watching her battle. They might start a riot, or a commotion at the very least."

"More like they want to see what her zanpakto's materialized form looks like. My Ruri'iro Kujaku won't stop talking about it since he heard rumors it could fly," Yumichika complained.

"She's been with our squad for practice for 2 weeks and we still haven't seen it's materialized form. Some of our squad members saw it during the rebellion. They describe it as a powerful zanpakto with a sinister looking shikai, and the wielder has an attitude to match the impression. I can confirm the look of the shikai, but not sure about how powerful it is considering the ones who saw aren't strong enough for a seated officer position. The girl has an attitude alright but she spends most of her time avoiding the Captain so it's hard to gauge what she is really like," Ikkaku added.

Then as if as an afterthought Ikkaku continued with "it has some dangerous abilities too. Even the Captain was interested in a match with her since he hasn't tried going against a power like that. Definitely has potential. If she ever reaches Bankai ….."  
his words tried off as he left the sentence unfinished.

An uncomfortable silence settled in as the other lieutenants thought about what kind of abilities a zanpakto would possess to make a crazed demon of a man like Zaraki want to test himself against a shinigami fresh from the academy.

"What's her zanpakto's name again, I forgot?" Renji asked no one in particular, cutting through the tense, awkward silence.

"Kazekurenai" Yumichika and Ikkaku answered in almost perfect synch.

'_Kazekurenai_?' Kira pondered, '_that means crimson wind. I wonder if it is an elemental zanpakto like Captain Hitsugaya's_.'

"Maybe I should go check on those two before our zanpakto create a giant scene over her getting kick out before she can fight and freak out the lower ranks."

As soon as she finished her statement, Matsumoto hurried over toward her Captain and an increasingly agitated young female shinigami.

"Matsumoto-san help me! You Captain's being unreasonable. I need this opportunity. This may be my best chance to escape from that psycho demon Zaraki and his equally crazed goon squad!" Kira begged with panic detectable in her voice.

"I don't think you should be screaming that. What if he hears?"

"Too late now. I already said it to his face yesterday. He actually thought I was complimenting him."  
Kiara shivered at the memory.

Matsumoto then redirected her attention and got back to why she came over in the first place and attempted to reason with her superior.

"Captain what's the problem? So she was a little late. I'm late almost all the time and you forgive me."

'_Uh not helping'_, Kiara thought figuring now she was screwed.

"Since when have I forgiven you for arriving late?" Hitsugaya stated with annoyance.

"Perhaps comparing her to yourself isn't the best idea" Kira suggested.

Kira was worried the woman was going to make things far worse rather than better. Luckily, he had successfully interrupted Matsumoto before she could turn this into a public argument ending badly for all involved.

"Captain Hitsugaya-san, if I may, many of the zanpakto, including your own I believe, were looking forward to see her compete. They would be very displeased if it was ruled she could no longer participate. I think it would be best right now to please them before they do something drastic and trigger another incident."

Hitsugaya wasn't happy but he had to admit Kira had a point. Most of the zanpakto were more noisy and annoying than their owners and thought nothing of making a scene. He didn't want them bothering him, or worse starting a riot so soon after Seireitei just started to recover from the damage they caused not too long ago. Shinigami from the lower ranks were still nervous around and distrustful of materialized zanpakto. The slightest show of aggression could trigger an overwhelming negative reaction from the masses. There was no way Hitsugaya was going to be blamed for a second zanpakto rebellion.

"Very well. She may participate, but only in the interest of keeping the peace. The last thing we need right now is our materialized zanpakto putting people on edge."

Matsumoto promptly responded to this resigned proclamation by hugging her child Captain fervently causing his faced to be squished between her breasts. The white haired youth tried to pry his subordinate off him before people began making up wild rumors about their relationship. While this was going on, Kiara finally had a chance to get a good look at the person who had come to her rescue when her ally failed miserably. She stared intently at the man's face trying to understand why it seemed familiar. Then it hit her why she recognized him.

"Hey, you're the space cadet who wouldn't stop blocking the road earlier. You know if it wasn't for you and that weird zanpakto that looks like an undertaker escaped from prison I wouldn't have been late."

Matsumoto stopped hugging (embarrassing) her Captain and laughed at the young woman's description of what she knew had to be Kira's zanpakto and the idea of someone calling Kira a space cadet to his face in front of high ranking officers.

"You're the woman who jumped on me before Wabisuke arrived?" Kira asked slightly in shock.

"It's your fault for spacing out in the middle of an alley and completely ignoring all the times I tried to ask you politely to move. To be fair I did give you a very clear and loud warning before I did it. Guessing you didn't hear me then. I thought you were deliberately ignoring me. Who's Wabisuke?"

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were there," Kira said, quite embarrassed as a slight blush rose on his cheeks, "and Wabisuke is my zanpakto, the undertaker who escaped from prison."

Now it was Kiara's turn to look embarrassed, but she didn't apologize. She didn't feel she had the time to.

"Did I just hear you say you jumped on Lt. Izuru?" Captain Hitsugaya demanded harshly.

"Only his shoulder, and not on purpose. I was trying to jump over him but fell a bit short and wound up bouncing off him."

Suddenly Kiara's brain realized she overlooked the most important part of the other shinigami's words.

"Wait a minute, did he just say Lt. Izuru? Matsumoto-san this guy's a lieutenant like you?" Kira asked while literally pointing at Kira's face.

"Yes. This is Kira Izuru, lieutenant of Squad 3" Hitsugaya responded, although the question wasn't directed at him, without hiding the annoyance in his voice.

Kiara's mind raced, '_I just technically attacked a lieutenant while unprovoked_. Damn. _And he's from Squad 3? That's the traitor Gin Ichimaru's squad so he's actually acting Captain_. Double damn. _And then I insulted his zanpakto_. Damn it all to hell. _Crap I just admitted it in front of a full Captain and a Lieutenant. Not only that this particular Captain is seriously pissed at me_. I AM DOOMED!' _If the pint sized one doesn't strike me down right now this traitor's subordinate will probably come after me in my sleep. WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NOW_?'

"I am in real trouble aren't I?" she asked timidly.

"Since he's an acting Captain I'll leave your punishment up to him to decide after today's matches are complete. But I will say this, there will NOT be a place for you in Squad regardless of the outcome of your match. Now report to the sign-in station to find out when it will be your turn."

'_Well that makes 2 squads I've been banned from this week. This has got to be a Seireitei record or something. I wonder how long it will be before I'm thrown out of the 13 Court Guard Squads altogether. And I really would have liked to be in either Captain Hitsugaya's or Kuchiki's Squad.  
Hyorinmaru's such a cool zanpakto and I really love dragons. And Captain Kuchiki is such a handsome noble, I don't care if he is aloof. Serving in either squad would be worlds better then what I'm stuck with now but I've screwed that all up. Most likely I'll be banned from squad 3 now that I've insulted the acting Captain. At this rate I'll have to beg Momo-san to take me into her squad_.'

"Captain, you can't be serious!"

Rangiku's whining dragged Kiara out of her upsetting thoughts.

"I wanted her to become part of our Squad!"

"Yeah, so it's easier for you to find me so you can order me to come drinking with you and drag your drunk ass home" Kiara spat out without meaning to say such a statement out loud.

Captain Hitsugaya scowled.  
"Even more of a reason not to accept her."

'_Crap. I said that out loud_,' Kiara thought, mentally slapping herself before taking off for the sign-in station.

"If you don't mind me asking, why would she be interested in having a recent academy graduate go drinking with her?" Kira asked the young woman as he caught up with her.

Matsumoto could still be heard whining in the background and was starting to make a scene. Kiara didn't pause in her rush to the station while she answered the acting Captain.

"Two reasons. One, I generally won't drink any alcohol, and two, even on the rare occasion that I do it's pretty much impossible for me to get drunk, therefore defeating the main purpose for drinking alcohol in the first place. That way I'll always be sober enough to get her home safely unlike a certain other group of women who will remain nameless. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get over to that station before the dragon king changes his mind.  
Ohh, and sorry about before. I hope your shoulder doesn't hurt too much."

Kira smiled, "Don't worry I'm fine and it was mostly my fault anyway. And about your punishment …

Kiara visibly stiffened.

"If it was up to me there wouldn't be one. But as Captain Hitsugaya expects there to be one and he out ranks me ….. It won't be anything horrible I promise, especially if you do well today."

Kiara mumbled a barely audible thanks before ducking out of sight.

* * *

"Hmm, who was that girl your wielder was chasing after, Wabisuke? She his girlfriend or something?" Haineko teased.

"I have not seen her before and was unaware that he had an interest in any female," Wabisuke replied flatly.

"Ignore her, she wasn't being serious. But I do think it would be nice if she was. Maybe then he wouldn't be so gloomy all the time" Tobiume commented quietly.

"Who cares about that. The next round of the fights are going to start!" Snakey complained.

Shinigami and materialized zanpakto alike watched the group mock battles and kidou contests while they waited for what they considered the main event. The "main event" was a series of one-on-one contests for those considered for seated officer positions, whether they are recent academy graduates or have been with one of the 13 Squads for years. This was the only event that current Squad Lieutenants could participate in as opponents of the candidates for the purpose of evaluation. Basically, a circle was marked on the ground and whoever knocked their opponent outside of the circle first wins (unless their opponent yielded before losing).

In the case where it was a Lieutenant vs. Candidate, the Lieutenant could not use their shikai release but their adversary could, as a way of evening the field. Both combatants were allowed to use kidou, but again the Lieutenants were limited to only lower level techniques. Essentially, the higher ups wanted to make sure the Lieutenants didn't completely blow away the candidates before anyone could evaluate their skill level. Some current 3rd and 4th seat officers also were set to participate since not all the Lieutenants were taking part. Ahead of time some of the officers across all three ranks were assigned to compete against specific candidates. This was the reason the zanpakto wanted to watch the contests. Renji Abarai versus Kiara Otonashi was one of the prearranged matches.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The next chapter will start with an explanation of why Kiara was banned from Squad 6.


	3. Anticipation and Reflection

**Author's Note:** In this chapter the zanpakto weigh in on their opinions of Kiara Otonashi and her zanpakto Kazekurenai.

* * *

**Chapter 3: **_**Anticipation and Reflection**_

About one week earlier, Rukia convinced her brother to allow Kiara a chance to earn a transfer into his Squad. She had become friends with the girl and wanted to help Kiara in her desperate struggle to escape from Squad 11. (That and her friend may have mentioned something about how she "admired" Byakuya and would prefer working with the sophisticated noble over the boorish Zaraki.)  
Given Kiara's proficiency with kidou, (which made her stand out among Zaraki's Squad because of their collective belief in kidou being a dirty word) it just made sense that she would thrive better under a Captain who could further her study in advanced kidou techniques. Unfortunately for the recent academy graduate, she had barely just arrived at the Squad 6 barracks when she got into a huge fight with Renji Abarai, the Lieutenant of the unit.

What started as a verbal argument quickly turned into a physical battle. This was mainly because Kiara showed a higher level of intelligence and quicker wit then Renji which caused him to lash out due to feeling he was being shown up in front of his men. Luckily, Renji did not have his zanpakto with him at the time or the fight could have been much worse.  
None of this made it any less embarrassing when he lost the fight anyway, because to his surprise, Kiara was actually very good for her age at martial arts. There was no way he could have known members of the Stealth Force were her inspiration for becoming a shinigami. As a result she had trained almost daily in martial arts in hopes of being accepted into the group upon graduation from the academy.

Furthering Renji's embarrassment, Byakuya saw the end of the fight and his loss to a girl fresh from the academy. Captain Kuchiki was not amused by her lack of respect for her surroundings and his generosity in allowing Kiara the opportunity to transfer into his unit at a time when such a thing was not possible under normal circumstances. Angry at the young woman's behavior while a guest at the barracks he promptly barred her from entering Squad 6 as long as he was Captain and had Renji disciplined (partly for not having his zanpakto with him and partly for losing in front of their subordinates).

Since then Renji has wanted another chance to go against this girl. Until now his Captain would not allow him a rematch of any kind for any reason. Not surprisingly Renji had forced the organizers to have him listed as Kiara's opponent for the one-on-one contests. With the decision being approved by higher authorities Byakuya couldn't oppose it.

All the zanpakto were waiting to see if Renji would get his revenge or lose once again, but this time in front of a far larger audience. Of course most of the zanpakto did not know what Kiara looked like so they wanted to know who she was. In addition, they were hoping to see her materialized zanpakto since not a single one belonging to a Lieutenant or Captain had actually seen it.  
They had only heard rumors from their fellows who had lesser ranked shinigami for wielders. With the exception of Ruri'iro Kujaku and Hozukimaru, the majority of them had not even seen the zanpakto's form in its shikai release.

"Do you think she'll materialize during the fight?" Suzumebachi questioned happily.

"That would not be appropriate in a one-on-one match. They may even be disqualified if that were to happen," Senbonzakura commented flatly.

"Ooohhh, I don't want them to be disqualified," Suzumebachi complained as she buzzed nervously around the other's heads.

"Perhaps after the fight she will be willing to show herself to us," Sode no Shirayuki offered to calm the little hornet zanpakto.

"She better. I didn't come all the way down here just to watch the shinigami fight. If she doesn't wanna show herself I'll make her. Even if I have to attack her wielder to force her out."

"Kazeshini I don't think that would be a good idea. She has a strong attachment to her wielder and will resent you for it deeply."

Wabisuke's voice was just over a whisper as he attempted to reason with his wild friend.

"Yeah. You shouldn't attack a woman so recklessly. And if she is anything like her wielder she just may beat you," Ruri'iro Kujaku teased, hiding the lower half of his face behind his wing.  
Then as if an afterthought he added, "even if it is just because they will work together to best you."

"I never said I would attack Kazekurenai, she's one of us. And I don't understand why any one of you would want to come to the defense of your shinigami. It's not like they've done anything to deserve it" Kazeshini yelled angrily.

Gonryomaru was the first to respond to Kazeshini's hostile remarks.

"I understand that you do not get along with your wielder and many of us still have things we don't like about our own, but that does not mean we still hate them enough to not want to aid them."

Many of the other zanpakto present voiced similar sentiments. Then Gonryomaru continued once with din died down.

"And from what I have heard, Kazekurenai-san always had an amiable relationship with hers. She joined the Rebellion only because of Muramasa's influence."

"Those who work with shinigami who graduated with this young woman have said this Kiara could be heard thanking her zanpakto for lending her support after every battle they were in. And this was before we were able to materialize in this world for all to see," Hyorinmaru commented, mostly to himself.

"This particular shinigami may very well be different from the majority," Wabisuke mused.

A shriek from Haineko suddenly changed the mood.

"Hey look at that! Wabisuke-kun it's the girl that your Kira was chasing earlier. She's Kiara Otonashi?! Why didn't one of you two say anything?" Haineko screamed at Ruri'iro Kujaku and Hozukimaru with a tone bordering on outrage.

"Do you think we were watching before?" Hozukimaru snorted out.

"If we had been paying attention we would have said something. And if we had you probably wouldn't have believed us" Ruri'iro Kujaku added.

"Tenken-sama thinks she does not look like much," Gonryomaru translated.

"We once thought the same thing about Ichigo and his friends" Chimpette stated without any emotion in her voice.

They all fell silent for a moment. Many of the zanpakto remembered how they had been defeated or surprised by one of Ichigo's group and it was a wound that still hurt their pride.

"If she is friends with Ichigo's group she has to at least be good for something" Snakey blurted out.

"However, her initial contact with the group was through the red-headed young woman …." Sode no Shirayuki pointed out.

"That girl would make friends with a tree. She's probably not the best example for comparison," Tobiume said.

"True, but she has become close with not only Ichigo's friends but many of our wielders because of Orihime-san," Hyorinmaru added.

Without warning the silence was broken by a large cheer from the shinigami gathered around the competition area.

"It appears the next match is about to be underway," Senbonzakura announced.

"Guess we aren't the only ones interested in this match," Haineko murmured.

* * *

**Author's Note:** In the next chapter the battle Renji vs. Kiara begins. Kazekurenai's shikai release is revealed.


	4. Battle Commencement

**Author's Note:** This chapter contains the begging of Renji Abarai vs. Kiara Otonashi. There is description of Kiara's zanpaktou shikai release stance and commands as well as some background of Kazekurenai's abilities.

* * *

**Chapter 4:_ Battle Commencement_**

All attention was now on the two combatants. Lieutenant Abarai was the first to strike. He charged at his opponent yelling, but the young woman was unfazed by the war cry. She took up a defensive stance and quickly dodged, but the seasoned officer turned back to face her just as quickly. Their blades clashed, sparks flying, neither giving up any ground. Renji's anger showed in the power of his strikes. Kiara ended up having to resort to using her martial and kidou skills to help keep the red head at bay. The male was not used to this way of fighting. He was initially taken by surprise the first few times Kiara kicked at him while their zanpakto were locked or as she used hurried flips and fast turns by spinning on her heel as a methods of evading attacks and increasing the distance between their bodies.

Renji also did not appreciate being attacked with kidou techniques from point blank range. He couldn't believe how bold she was to try something like that when she was close enough to be hit with her own attack should reflect it back at her. Agitated at not being able to force the younger shinigami outside the circle to achieve a fast victory, his reiatsu became increasingly out of control.

Even though by the regulations he couldn't use his shikai release (nor would he have if it was allowed), Renji's spiritual pressure was spiking to levels similar to those during a zanpakto release. This was making Kiara nervous so she knew that soon she would be forced to reveal her shikai release as a precautionary counter measure so his spiritual pressure wouldn't overwhelm her. In terms of sheer power the young woman knew Lieutenant Abarai was the stronger. Never had she believed she could defeat a lieutenant who was capable of using Bankai without her shikai release, unless her opponent was clumsy while angry and forgot stepping outside the circle counted as a loss. What worked in her favor was Kiara was more skilled with kidou techniques and had a wider range and variety of attacks.  
From the first few times she had seen her opponent fight, long before today, she noticed he was very straightforward in his attack style and there was a loose pattern to how he strung attack combinations together. For her, Renji's way of fighting was repetitive and predictable, giving her more opportunities to take advantage of this weakness so as to avoid his assaults during battle. But with the red headed man's reiatsu climbing higher there was no other alternative but to use shikai, if for no other reason than to hold back some of the elder's spiritual pressure before it overwhelmed her.

Everyone, including Renji, froze as they recognized what the young shinigami was about to do. Only the officer candidates could use shikai so as to create a more level playing field for them when they were up against those already were of officer rank. Many gave Kiara credit, in their thoughts, for holding out as long as she had without relying on her zanpakto's strength and abilities. So far the young woman held the record for longest time without shikai. The whole crowd, materialized zanpakto as well, were perfectly silent and still, some even unconsciously holding their breath, as they listened for the sword release command.

"BLEED, Kazekurenai," Kiara commanded from her stance for the release.

The young woman was standing with the side of her body turned toward Renji. She stood slightly hunched over with her knees slightly bent, resembling someone frozen mid-lunge but with her left side showing instead of the right side which was more typical. Her sword arm was held out in front of her torso. The zanpakto was dipping at a slight angle downward with the hilt near her chest and the end point below her knee. From a guard position, almost as if a shield was attached to it, her left arm partially obscured the view of her face and weapon from Renji's vantage point. It wouldn't stay there long as Kiara brought her left down until it grazed the edge of the blade. She dragged her hand along three quarters of the length of the blade in a sweeping motion while simultaneously drawing the blade higher until it was in a high stance level with the top of her head. All this happened in one fluid motion coming from years of practice, ending when her palm, now clear of the blade was showing toward her attacker. A slight cut on the palm was visible but all eyes were drawn elsewhere.

Audience members watched transfixed as the sword altered shape. The blade shortened to three fourth its original size. Some surmised this being the reason the youth had lifted her hand from the blade once it reached the three quarter mark. Now the zanpakto had transitioned from the smooth edge of all shinigami swords when unreleased, to one of multiple jagged edges running along a now curved blade. It was obvious the blade had become double edged as well, judging from all the jagged surfaces. This feature was highly irregular for a double edged sword and those watching could only guess the meaning behind this idiosyncrasy. Under close examination, if one was close enough to get a good look at the sword, that person would see an intricate pattern of channels carved into the blade running inward from the plethora of points along the blade's outer surface.  
Even the hilt of the sword took on an unusual shape. The pommel extended and had become like a whip that snaked its way up and around its wielder's sword arm. It continued across the young woman's back and wrapped its way down the left arm until it reached her wrist. Another unusual feature of this zanpakto was the guard piece not only curved down to block access to the user's hand, but the majority turned out toward the blade. To everyone's surprise little barbs appeared to be protruding out of the hilt and whip part and seemed to be digging into the flesh along her arms, neck, and back. Some soul reapers stared and gasped in horror as they realized at the core of the whip-like extension was a small clear tube which was slowly turning a crimson blood red.

"What's happening? She looks like she's in pain but Renji hasn't attacked her," Ichigo questioned. He had come with Rukia to watch Renji's fight.

"I think she may be," Rukia pointed out.

"Her zanpakto seems to be drawing out her blood," Izuru remarked, a little stunned at the realization.

"Indeed," Hisagi agreed.

"Yeah, it does that alright. I told you it was a sinister looking blade," Ikkaku said in a bored tone.

"How can you say something like that so calmly?" Ichigo practically yelled back.

"Because we've seen it plenty of times before and we know it only hurts her initially. As it breaks the skin of course it's going to hurt somewhat. Once the core is full then it will heal her and the pain fades away. To some extent, from what I understand anyway, the shikai form can numb any additional pain she receives from her opponent's attacks from that point until the battle is over and the shikai is re-sealed," Yumichika informed Ichigo as Ikkaku nodded his head in agreement.

Kira took in this information and wondered how is friend was going to fare in this match. Renji's fighting style was already so familiar to his former classmate. It was perfect for fighting hollows, but not so much against other shinigami. The young woman had already proven that by and large. His fellow lieutenant was already struggling against the complicated strings of attacks and rushed change ups from before her zanpakto's shikai released was revealed. Under normal circumstances, without restrictions he truly believed the match would already be over with Renji as the victor. With only his power and sword skills allowed to him, Kira was unsure of the outcome for Renji and this Kiara. Typically Renji was confident in battle, but he depended too much on Zabimaru's abilities and it was showing. If her zanpakto was suited for long distance battle and Renji couldn't close the gap between them he would be in for a long battle.

For now all Kira could do was watch as his friend battled. When it was all over he would be either celebrating Renji's victory or trying to keep him under control if he lost. Whether he physically won the battle or not he would still have lost. Should Renji win there would probably be a backlash from those who supported the officer candidate and he would look like the bully lieutenant who was picking on a promising skilled young shinigami. If Kiara Otonashi wins, then many of the other lieutenants will tease him and never let Renji hear the end of it.  
Not to mention how he might look in the eyes of the lower ranks, as a lieutenant capable of using bankai who failed to defeat someone fresh out of the Shinigami Academy. This hot-tempered headstrong friend of his was going to need some support after all was said and done. Izuru was beginning to wonder why Renji pushed for this match up to begin with. Although reflecting on it more thoroughly the Squad 6 Lieutenant probably wasn't thinking of the potential fallout when demanded to be pitted against her. Thinking things through over acting impulsively out of anger was not exactly the red head's strong suit. That was more Kira's department and he knew it from all the times he or Rukia had to bail Renji out during their academy days.

Meanwhile, the materialized zanpakto were having similarly shocked reactions.

"Wow! What a cool shape!" Snakey screamed gleefully bouncing up and down on his tail in excitement.

"You're only saying that because it looks like a snake wrapped around her arms," Chimpette huffed.

"That was unexpected," Senbonzakura remarked.

"EEEEWWWW. Is it drinking her blood?! That is so gross …." Haineko cried out in disgust.

"Appears that way," Wabisuke mumbled more to himself then as a response.

"What's she gonna do with her wielder's blood?" Kazeshini questioned nobody in particular.

Kazeshini was by far one of the most violent zanpakto, contrary to the nature of his wielder Hisagi. He didn't mind the blood. Instead he was completely fascinated. This zanpakto loved nothing more than drawing blood, whether it be his enemies or his wielder's. The idea of then using the drawn blood, especially that from your wielder, as a form of some kind of attack was a new concept for him. Not so secretly, Kazeshini still desired to spill his wielder's blood unlike his compatriots who have since forgiven theirs. After seeing this action, he wondered of Kazekurenai would be willing to show him how to do the same to his Hisagi.

While all this was going on, down on the competition grounds, Renji had started to regain his senses. "What the hell is that,?!" Renji half yelled at the competitor before him.

"My zanpakto's shikai form obviously," Kiara retorted. She wasn't sure if he was trying to mess with her or was in some form of dumbfounded shock.

"I know that. It's not like I've never seen a shikai release before. I meant what's inside it!" Renji shouted out indignantly.

"Blood. My blood to be more precise. What in Soul Society did you expect it to be?" Kiara responded calmly.

"Your … blood?" Renji spoke not wanting to believe what was right before his eyes. It seemed almost too gruesome to be true and he didn't want to believe it.

Kiara's opinion of Renji's intelligence lowered drastically at such a stupid remark. There was a limit to her tolerance for idiocy and he was reaching it rapidly.

"Yes, mine. What a stupid thing to say. Who else could it belong to? It's not like Kazekurenai has touched anything else except myself since turning to this form. Better watch it Lieutenant or my zanpakto will be collecting your blood next." There was a teasing sort of malice behind her last sentence as Kiara waited for the elder shinigami's reaction to her goading.

Renji glared at the young soul reaper, angry for being publicly insulted by her insinuation of his being stupid and in front of such a large gathering of people to top it off. He would not stand for this outrage.

"And what do you plan on doing with all that blood?" Renji asked cautiously, not really anticipating her to reveal such information, but it doesn't hurt to try.

"You'll see soon enough Lieutenant," Kiara responded, trying to make the statement come off as ominous.

Renji prepared himself for whatever tricks the recent grad may have in store for him. On the sidelines the Captains and other Lieutenants were listening intently to the combatants' conversation. The Lieutenants were more interested in seeing whether or not Renji would dig himself deeper in to a hole of foolishness the longer he kept his mouth moving while the Captains were more intent on discussing the nature of the abilities of Kazekurenai and how Kiara Otonashi would be using them in battle.

"What is she going to do with the collected blood? Does her zanpakto need it to power its abilities?" Captain Komomura thought out loud from where the Captains were gathered.

"From what I have heard her blood is its power," Hitsugaya offered while looking toward Zaraki. Since the person in question had been staying with his Squad until recently he should know something of Kiara's powers.

"Yeah! She makes shiny things out of it," Yachiru squealed from atop Zaraki's shoulder. She was so excited she was kneeling on large man's shoulders and propping herself up by placing her outstretched hands on his head.

"Shiny things?" Byakuya inquired, hoping for a less vague description from someone.

Captain Kurotsuchi came out from the shadows and pushed his way to the front of the group for a better view. "Shiny things is the worst description of her capabilities imaginable."

"You got a better way of putting it, eh?" Zaraki asked without looking at the other Captain.

"Indeed I do. My department has already examined her abilities. I would be able to give a perfect report if only she would agree to be a research subject."

Captain Unohana regarded the mad scientist with a soft smile. Her smile hid her contempt of the Squad 12 Captain's so-called research. On more than one occasion she personally interfered in formal requests by Mayuri himself to arrange a transfer for Kiara to his Squad. Blocking the transfer by way of protest to the Captain Commander was the best she could do for the girl for now. Should Kiara show more aptitude at healing others rather than herself alone Unohana saw it as a personal mission to have the female academy grad placed in Squad 4 so she could more proactively shield the girl from Squad 12's clutches.

"Would you please enlighten the rest of us with the results of your examination? A description or explanation based on whatever data you have so far collected will suffice nicely," the female Captain asked as sweetly as possible despite her dislike of the vile researcher. It appalled her that such a being could maintain a Squad at all.

Kurotsuchi huffed but was willing to satisfy the healer's curiosity. As a scientist, he liked to brag about his research and accomplishments, not to mention the opportunity to show off how much smarter and well informed he was compared to his unworthy fellow Captains. For as long as he could remember he considered the whole lot of them inferior to himself and he relished any chance to prove it, even if only to himself.

"Her zanpakto has the ability to manipulate the composition of blood and not only her own. So far we have been able to confirm the ability works any on the blood of any shinigami and to a far lesser extent, that of hollows. In doing so she has effectively weaponized the blood itself for attacks, as well as facilitate accelerated healing and blood cell reproduction. Should she ever achieve Bankai there is evidence to support an expansion of the zanpakto's current abilities. Theoretically, because of the nature of the abilities it is conceivable the two could partially fuse and thus increase her reiatsu output temporarily. However, she stubbornly refuses to permit me to conduct further research to substantiate these theories."

"Sounds like a useful ability to me, but it looks to be painful," Komomura suggested.

"That wasn't much more informative then 'shiny things'. Couldn't you provide more details into how it manipulates the blood?" Captain Kuchiki complained.

"She's fine and you'll see. Just give it a chance to happen," Zaraki stated.

"Yeah, yeah! You should be worried about pineapple head getting hurt!" Yachiru squealed, now having climbed onto Zaraki's head and was bouncing slightly from the nervous anticipation of what was to come.

'How does a man like Zaraki put up with a child like that?' Byakuya wondered, unconcerned for his lieutenant's safety. He was more intent on discovering if anyone else was showing if they thought Zaraki looked as ridiculous as he believed the monstrous Captain did. If he didn't know for himself how truly bloodthirsty and cruel the brute was he never would have guessed by his current behavior, or more precisely, lack thereof. Then he got sidetracked on deciding whether or not Renji's head resembled a red pineapple as the little creature proposed.

On the battlefield, the fight had resumed and Renji was on his guard. He was determined not to be taken by surprise by whatever the shikai form of Kiara Otonashi's zanpakto may throw at him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** In the next chapter: The battle continues and you will see how Kazekurenai manipulates blood for its attacks.


	5. Blood in the Arena

**Author's Note:** For this chapter, because of the ongoing battle there is a Point of View shift to Renji for certain parts so as not to interrupt the flow of battle with too much commentating from spectators.

* * *

**Chapter 5: **_**Blood in the Arena**_

At first it was a normal clash of blades, no sign of the female shinigami's abilities. Sparks flew as metal made contact with metal. Renji took wide, broad swings while his opponent took more narrow angled swift strikes. The red head was doing his best to gauge his opponents range while keeping enough distance that she couldn't strike back with her martial skills. He was not looking forward to taking another hard kick to the gut.

Earlier Kiara had used such a move when their swords locked and he started gaining leverage over her blade. A quick turn of her body and she let up a bit on the sword grapple. Momentum from the force he was putting behind the push of his blade made Renji lose his footing and lurch forward. Using this opportunity the young woman angled a side kick straight for the pit of the Lieutenant's stomach and her opponent was knocked back onto his ass. Needless to say he did not appreciate this tactic.

After getting back on his feet, Renji was angry enough to take more reckless strikes. Taking a high stance his blade plummeted downward with such force the vibrations from the contact were almost visible as the female fighter strained to stand her ground. It was easier for Lt. Abarai to push the younger shinigami back once her arm was weakened from the powerful blow. Kiara tended to use one handed techniques to increase her maneuverability so with her dominant hand taking on the brunt of the force this tactic was becoming less viable.

More than once she was forced to transfer the blade from her dominant hand to her weaker left hand as was necessary when her fellow fighter targeted that side of her body. The first time this occurred Renji was taken aback as he was convinced the hilt of the sword was connected the coil. He was partially correct; the hilt was connected but not permanently. It could detach itself from the coil and would join with the other end along her left wrist. This transference helped relieve some of the strain on her right arm but it wasn't enough. Close combat was becoming increasingly difficult for Kiara, especially once Renji figured out when she was changing hands. Now was the time to rely on Kazekurenai's abilities if there was to be a chance of victory.

Then slowly the battle changed as hints of her abilities could be seen. Kiara was using less martial arts as her zanpakto was healing her as quickly as Renji could injure her. She moved and reacted slower to his attacks. There wasn't as much of a need because of Kazekurenai's influence over her wielder's body. Even her injured sword arm was regaining its strength. However, Abarai hadn't picked up on this yet as he thought the extra weight of the transformed sword and the draining of her blood was finally getting to her. He believed she was weakening when in reality she was devoting her reiatsu primarily to Kazekurenai's blood manipulation over her own physical strength.

The first time he noticed something was different was when he thought he saw crystal looking spiked objects forming along the coils wrapped around her left arm. She had been using it like a shield, letting Zabimaru collide with the metal of the shikai extensions that clung to her body. As he kept glancing toward where he thought he saw the crystals Renji noticed similar spikes attached to his sleeves near his own wrists. Next thing he knew, the spikes he now realized actually existed, were getting bigger and scratching him leaving fine cuts along his arms which stung harshly.

Soon after, during a particularly hard strike which drove Kiara back creating a decent sized space between the two combatants, it happened. Kiara allowed a large quantity of blood to gather around her blade. The channels carved into the blade glowed and concentrated the blood at the extreme edge of the blade. When enough had collected, the young woman pulled back her blade, swung it out in front of her, and launched crystalized daggers of blood in an arc straight at Lieutenant Abarai.

Seeing the blades coming Renji quickly tried to dodge some and deflect others. To his surprise the ones he deflected reversed direction and came back at him. Unable to react fast enough, a few sliced across his back while others shattered against the arena floor and turned into puddles of blood.

'_Damn that really hurt_,' Renji cursed inside his head.  
'_I'll have to be more careful. If only I could use Zabimaru's shikai that wouldn't have happened. Stupid rules! And I suck at kidou so how am I supposed to stop these things from hitting me_?'

Renji didn't have time to think of a plan as more blood daggers approached him at high velocity. Just like last time some of the blades he was able to avoid. The rest the lieutenant knocked away with his zanpakto and they were redirected back toward him for the second time. This time he had anticipated having to maneuver out of the way of the redirected blades. Some daggers still cut across his arm and legs on the one side anyway. Instead of reversing course they had returned at an angle and Renji had not accounted for this.

Each time Renji closed the gap between him he was met with more crystalized blood projectiles. This attack was reminiscent of his own Captain's abilities. Luckily for Renji, unlike Senbonzakura, Kazekurenai's daggers were much larger than swarm of cherry blossom looking blades. The crystal blades were also far fewer in number. And from what Renji could tell Kiara's attack was limited to a straight forward arc. Although the blades could be redirected, they only appeared to able to change course once. Not only could they alter their path once, the blood daggers were also limited in the range of motion for the redirection. So far the blades were returning toward him by reversing back along their original path or at an angle but along a straight line. He hoped he could use this information to his advantage.

Knowing how the blood daggers worked was not as much help as Renji had hoped.

Since he knew the blades were generated from Kiara's blood, Renji assumed she would run out quickly. After all there was only so much blood a person could lose before they collapsed and needed medical attention. But to the red head's dismay there didn't seem to be any end in sight. Blades that hadn't made contact with his body kept shattering against the ground and returning to their original form. From all the puddles of blood left behind by the spent daggers Renji reached the conclusion there was more blood on the ground then a female his opponent's size and age should be able to reasonably contain, forget lose.

"How the hell are you standing after losing this much blood?!" Renji shouted at Kiara, interrupting the flow of battle.  
"There's more on the floor then there should be in your body. Don't you ever run out of those bloody daggers? How is this even possible?"

"Technically, in a way I haven't lost any blood. And as long as I still have any reiatsu left to offer Kazekurenai, my Bloody Daggers technique won't run out," Kiara answered.

Renji stared dumbfounded. In his mind you either lose blood or you don't. There is no in between.

Kiara knew what she said was an odd statement and felt it was best to clarify.  
"My zanpakto is regenerating my blood as fast I'm using it up. That make more sense?"

From the expression on Renji's face the young woman could tell he got the message.

'_Well there goes the plan of waiting until she runs out of those things. Guess I can try to continue dodging and destroying them until I can get behind her. With all her spiritual power focused on her sword her body should be vulnerable. If only I could lure her toward the edge of the ring. One good hard blow from the hilt of my sword into her back and she should go down. Then I can just push her outside the circle and its match over_.'  
With no other ideas at the moment the Squad 6 Lieutenant had no choice but to stick with his plan until he thought of something better.

Dodging and deflecting them was only marginally effective. While he was dealing with the current wave of crystalized blood Kiara would move in and launch a second wave from a closer proximity. It was nearly impossible for him to handle them all without being cut. When he did manage to get past them and try to initiate close combat he soon discovered the contact points of the coil around Kiara's arm could also generate crystalized blood spikes defensively. These spikes could break off and shoot out when he got within a certain range.

To make things even more aggravating the blood daggers could range in size from the length of his hand to the length of his arm. Larger daggers had the ability to spilt into smaller ones mid-flight which added another layer of difficulty to this battle. It was becoming apparent that without the use of kidou techniques Renji did not have much of a chance of winning this match unless his opponent ran out of spiritual pressure. From how much more labored Kiara's breathing had become he came to the conclusion this might be a distinct possibility.

One strong blow would force her to use up the majority of her remaining reiatsu to heal herself. Renji might be more injured than his opponent but he was sure he had more power left simply because he had far more to start with.

* * *

"Your wielder seems to be struggling," Hyorinmaru commented.

"He's used to depending on our shikai to block or destroy long range attacks," Chimpette responded.

"Yeah, and he can't use kidou! He can't do anything without us!" Snakey cried out, enjoying the Lieutenant's struggles a little more than he should.

"Such lack of skill is why he can never measure up to his Captain," Senbonzakura added.

"He's not even trying to use shunpo. He can do that right?" Suzumebachi asked.

It surprised her Renji hadn't tried to do that yet. As the zanpakto of a Stealth Force member she was used to shinigami moving as fast as possible almost on instinct.

"Of course he can do that. He's not that useless," Ruri'iro Kujaku cut in before Zabimaru could say anything.

"One thing about that shinigami I learned from his time with our Squad was he's a little slow upstairs sometimes. He probably hasn't realized to do that yet. Most likely he believes it's against the rules too," Hozukimaru joined in.

"I can believe that," Senbonzakura agreed.  
"My wielder is constantly reminding him of things he should have known on his own."

"Despite that being an accurate description of Zabimaru's wielder, I can see why he may have come to that assumption," Wabisuke spoke up.

The man was a friend of his Izuru so he felt he should say something in the shinigami's defense.

"Care to share?" Haineko prodded.

"Normally Academy graduates would not have sufficient skill with the shunpo technique whereas proficiency in it is required for higher level Seated Officers, especially those of Lieutenant and Captain rank. All skills providing an advantage to a Lieutenant have been prohibited. If he perceives the use of shunpo as an advantage he may think it would be against the rules," Wabisuke explained.

"Tenken-san says that is a reasonable explanation," Gonryomaru translated.

"Whatever his reasoning, he needs a better plan of attack if he wishes not to appear the fool," Sode no Shirayuki pointed out.

"How true. He is doing a better job of making a fool of himself then winning the fight," Tobiume said teasingly.

Haineko nodded her head in agreement to the younger zanpakto's statement. Others also agreed but did not necessarily show any signs of it. For the moment they were back to watching the competition rather than commentating on it.

* * *

Renji was starting to become desperate to win. He never thought the battle would go on this long. The first time he faced this young woman he had thought her victory was a fluke because he didn't have Zabimaru with him. Now he knew better. She was skilled and trained hard. He had to admit she was qualified for a Seated Officer's position, but he would never say so out loud. Some part of him

So far Kiara had limited her use of kidou because she knew Renji couldn't do much kidou. He had seen her perform some high level ones when he watched her practice with Zaraki's Squad. Well, technically she wasn't the one training, the rest of them were. Because of their stance on kidou, not only did they not use it, most of the squad was also horrible at avoiding kidou attacks. And the female shinigami seemed very eager to attempt hitting them with all she had. Renji appreciated the courtesy but it wasn't like he ever said he wouldn't resort to using what kidou skills he could.

'_Guess I have no choice but to attempt to use the_ Red Flower Canon _at close range. It was on the list of allowable kidou for Lieutenants. Good thing it's one I have been able to do. Since I suck at this she's too fast to try it long range. I'll most likely get caught in the blast but I should recover faster. It's better than continue being impaled by those damn spikes and sword sized daggers of blood crystal_.'

As soon as Renji decided on a plan of action he committed to it and looked for the perfect opportunity. Kiara manifested a grouping of the larger blood daggers and moved in toward the man. Right before his body came within the defense range of the coil's spikes he let loose his kidou technique, surprising Kiara. She knew he had limited kidou abilities and he rarely ever used them because he couldn't control them. Now, he had not only used kidou, but Renji had used it at such close range that with her current momentum she would never be able to slow down in time. There wasn't room for dodging or defending properly.

Having anticipated he would be caught in the blast Renji wasn't surprised in the least when he felt the impact and the sensation of his body sailing through the air. Impacting with the ground he was temporarily dazed. Once his senses returned he focused first on trying to take stock of his injuries. He could feel a dull pain across his torso he believed was the result of the Red Flower Canon. Stinging pain across his extremities and faced he decided must be from shards of the crystalized blood. All in all it wasn't as bad as he thought so he figured the girl had taken most of the hit.

With his evaluation of his injuries over, Renji started to take in his surroundings. He couldn't feel his opponents approach so he guessed she was still down, maybe even knocked out. Then the Lieutenant started to realize something was wrong. Until this moment the crowd had been cheering and calling out to the fighters. Silence now hung in the air. Nobody had anticipated Renji would resort to kidou so he wanted to believe the silence was from shock. To an extent he was right. An eerie feeling crept over Renji as the silence transitioned into nervous tension.

When Renji was able to sit up without feeling dizzy he scanned the arena for where his opponent landed. What he saw made his heart drop and propelled him forward on nothing but adrenaline until he was on his hands and knees. He wanted to go to her but was frozen in place. His arms shook as the red head stared in horror at the result his move had brought about.

Across from Renji was Kiara, her sword knocked from her grasp and her body impaled with her own crystal spikes. There were ones as large as her arm impaled in her chest and left arm. Smaller ones stuck out from all over her body. The Lieutenant had been sure they would have been pulverized in the blast. At the very least, she should have broken them down into smaller pieces or reverted them back into blood.

'_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. This wasn't supposed to happen! She's not moving …..  
Is she … dead? …. What have I done_?'

* * *

**Author's Note:** In the next chapter you will find out whether or not Kiara survives.

**_Side Note:_** If you like my writing style check out my profile for information on fanfictions I have written for other fandoms and general announcements for all my stories and upcoming chapters before they are posted.


	6. The Long Moments

**Author's Notes:** This chapter will leave off at a cliffhanger, but don't worry I'm not avoiding the real issue. (You'll see what I mean as you read the chapter.)  
Consider it more of a pause for dramatic effect.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Long Moments**

All Renji could think about was getting close enough to his opponent to see for himself if she was alive or dead. He didn't have any healing abilities so he couldn't do anything for her, but Renji wasn't concerned about that. If there was a slight chance she could survive he would signal for the match to be ended. That way Squad Four could come in and treat her properly. In the event it was already too late for Kiara, well the Squad Six lieutenant didn't want to consider it. Irrational an idea as it was, Renji thought dwelling on the possibility of her death would somehow force it to come to pass. Conversely, having a strong belief she was still alive would play a role in making her survival a reality. Gathering his strength, the weary shinigami shut out the noisy chatter from the crowd and focused all his attention on moving to the young woman's unmoving body.

While Renji made a desperate struggle to process the results of his actions and do all he could to make it better, the spectators drew their own conclusions.

Izuru was very worried for his friend. '_This is not good. Renji what were you thinking trying kidou when you know you can't control it properly_.'

"Captain, call the match! Kiara needs help," Matsumoto pleaded.

"Not my decision. Only the committee or the Captain Commander can end the match on behalf of a combatant without their consent," Toshiro replied solemnly.

"Then go ask them! They won't listen to me."

"I'll see what I can do Matsumoto."

Byakuya approached the young captain as Hitsugaya was offering to see if he could aid the young woman.  
"Allow me to accompany you. Lieutenant Abarai is my subordinate and therefore to an extent his actions are my also part of my responsibility."

The shorter captain motioned for the head of the Kuchiki clan to follow him to the committee platform. While this was going on Captain Unohana called over her lieutenant.

"Isane."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Prepare for emergency medical treatment. We move in as soon as the match has been called off."

"Yes mam."

The Squad Four Captain and Lieutenant then moved as close to the edge of the ring as possible. Other medical staff followed suit in case their assistance would be required. Unohana tried to keep herself under control as she caught Kurotsuchi asking about obtaining her body for research purposes if Squad Four was unable to save Kiara. The head of the medical squad was determined to make sure that request wouldn't be fulfilled if she could prevent it.

* * *

From their spot on the sidelines, Ichigo's group questioned what would happen next.

"What will happen to Renji-kun if Kiara-chan is really hurt?"

"Orihime I think she may be more than really hurt," Uryu said weakly.

"Ishida don't say that. Renji wouldn't do that. He just wouldn't!" Ichigo yelled back frantically.

Uryu was about to say something in response but Chad shook his head to signal for his friend to remain quiet. Then he placed a hand on Kurosaki's shoulder to reassure and calm the substitute soul reaper.

"Regardless of what we believe it's what the committee and Captains think that matters. If they decide his actions were deliberately meant to cause serious harm beyond what is normally expected in this type of battle …." Rukia's voice trailed off as she tried to control her feelings of dread.  
"Let's just say this isn't good for Renji. He has a history of problems with her."

"That doesn't mean he would kill her!" Ichigo shouted before Rukia could say more.

Uryu tried to reason with the substitute soul reaper.  
"We would need to prove he wouldn't Kurosaki. How are we going to do that?"

"I don't know! But we have to, somehow."  
Ichigo was unravelling quickly as fear for Renji's safety grew.

"Maybe I could heal her Kurosaki-kun."

The substitute soul reaper grabbed hold of Inoue's hands and looked at her face with hope.  
"Yes! That's it! Orihime you're a genius. If you save her then Renji won't be punished."

"There's a good chance he may punished either way, but at least if she pulls through the punishment won't be as severe," Rukia concluded.

* * *

Nearby, the group of lieutenants was having similar arguments. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Iba, Kira, and Momo insisted the level of injury was purely accidental given Abarai's character and lack of kidou skill. The others who didn't know the subject of the debate well had their doubts.

"Stop yer whining over what'll happen. She ain't dead," Zaraki stated with confidence.

"C-C-Captain, when did you get over here?" Yumichika spoke in confused shock.

"We've been here a while. You just didn't notice sillies. It was so boring over there with those guys, right Kenny?"

Zaraki nodded his head yes in agreement to his lieutenant's explanation of why they wandered away from the group of Captains.

"How do you know she isn't dead Captain Zaraki?" Hisagi asked.

He had a hard time believing Kenpachi could be so sure of his conclusion. It was well known this particular captain couldn't detect spiritual pressure. Yachiru wasn't very good with this skill either so she couldn't be the one who gave him the idea. Perhaps one of the other captains had said something before he strayed from the group.

"Because she's tougher than that. That's why I'm sure. She practically bleeds herself out over and over every time she fights with that thing. And that sword of hers isn't going to let her die from its own attack. So shut up and watch her. She'll get up."

Nobody wanted to argue with the large imposing man.

* * *

The materialized zanpakto had their own concerns about the situation.

"If the girl dies what will happen to Kazekurenai-chan?" Suzumebachi worried out loud while flitting around nervously.

"Many of the zanpakto who lost their wielder didn't survive," Wabisuke answered solemnly.

"It all depends on how strong she is on her own and how close a connection to her wielder she still has," Senbonzakura added.

"I can't say for sure how strong she is, but Kazekurenai is very close with her wielder," Ruri'iro Kujaku told the group.

Hozukimaru spoke up in response.  
"If that is true, and I believe it is from what I've seen, then she is lost to us."

Haineko and Tobiume wouldn't accept such an answer.  
"NO!" they both cried, almost in synch.

"It may be inevitable. We will have to accept it as a possibility."  
Hozukimaru directed his words at the saddened female zanpakto.

"But we never got to meet her yet! This can't be happening," Tobiume sniffled as tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought of the loss of a potential new friend.

"We don't know she won't make it yet!" Kazeshini yelled back angrily.

An argument soon erupted between the materialized zanpakto. This whole time the two halves of Zabimaru had remained quiet. Considering how loud they usually are this would have been unsettling to any of their friends. Everything about them was different at the moment. Normally they would be arguing and trying to put as much distance between them as the chain connecting them, would allow. However now, without thinking they had moved closer to each other until they were inches apart.

"Are you alright Zabimaru?" Sode no Shirayuki pried lightly.

"What's gonna happen to us if the soul reapers think that big idiot jerk-face tried to kill that girl?"  
Snakey's voice was barely above a whisper.

Rukia's zanpakto felt sorry for the childlike Snakey since he was visibly shaken. Chimpette on the other hand was surprisingly composed. Most likely she had already resigned herself to their possible fate if things didn't fall their way.

Without a hint of emotion in her voice Chimpette stated the facts as she believed them.  
"Most likely they will lock us up with Renji until they decide what to do with him. There's nothing we can do about it. As zanpakto we have no say in the matter."

"I don't want to go jail," Snakey sobbed at his other half.

Chimpette pulled the snake boy into a tight hug.

This was the first time Sode no Shirayuki saw those two being supportive of each other. She decided it was best to leave the two alone for now, but before she left the female zanpakto offered the only reassurance she could think of.

"The shinigami may yet live."

For their sake the beautiful ice type zanpakto hoped this was true.

* * *

Although in reality only a short time had passed, the few moments between when Kiara hit the ground and Renji's desperate crawl over to her seemed to stretch into hours. Spectators were becoming increasingly agitated as the young woman's condition remained unknown. Tensions were running high and the crowds were on the verge of a riot.

Former Academy classmates and many lower ranked shinigami admired Kiara and were outraged over the possibility of the needless death of a hero. Support for her had only grown since the word of her deeds during the zanpakto rebellion had spread. If the match isn't called soon, some of the more outraged shinigami would charge the field for sure. There was a good chance they would try to attack Renji in the process. Captains and lieutenants prepared to subdue the crowd if the situation devolves further. Ichigo was poised to rush to Renji's side despite his friends' efforts to hold him back.

In the meantime, Renji was finally close enough to detect Kiara's reiatsu, should there be any to detect.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Next chapter - Renji confirms Kiara's condition**.**


	7. Outpouring of Emotions

**Author's Note:** I know it's been dragged out and it's been a few months since I updated but now you will finally learn if Kiara survived Renji's dangerously miscalculated counter attack strategy.

* * *

**Chapter 7: _Outpouring of Emotions_**

There was only about 15 feet now separating Lieutenant Abarai from the injured female. Although it was very faint, Renji could swear he felt some trace of power still flowing within the body sprawled out on the arena floor. This meant, in the worst case scenario she was dying, and dying wasn't dead, it was barely alive. Barely alive meant he was looking at an attempted murder charge if the committee chose to be strict, given she did not arise on her own. Legalities aside, Renji was more concerned with whether or not his foolish misuse of kidou ended a fellow shinigami's life needlessly rather than the punishment he would receive.

Still, the suspicion she was alive would not be enough. Renji had to be sure the young woman was breathing. However, he could not bring himself to approach any further to examine Kiara's figure himself. Some part of him questioned if moving closer would solidify in the spectator's minds an angry lieutenant was closing in to finish the job instead of determining whether or not to request for the match to end. At this rate he was willing to forfeit if it meant the hastened arrival of vital medical assistance.

Luckily for Renji his internal dilemma would not have to be prolonged much further.

* * *

Kazekurenai had been utilizing all the reiatsu her wielder's body could spare to heal Kiara enough to stabilize her condition. The zanpakto had purposefully slowed the heart rate and breathing as well as suppressed other functionality. These actions were to ensure the recovery process was accelerated by diverting as little energy as possible to anything other than the restoration of damaged organs and tissues. With her life out of danger, Kazekurenai deemed it safe to allow the shinigami to regain consciousness.

Low moaning, barely above a whisper, came spilling out from Kiara's mouth. Within minutes of the utterances passing her lips, Kiara was able to open her eyes. Despite the pain, the young heroine raised herself up to a reclined sitting position. She put her best effort into the movement and it was a struggle to perform such a simple action. It still was not possible to commit to a fully upright seated positioning because there were still shards protruding from her torso. Leaning back at a slight angle, and supporting the weight of her body with her arms on either side was more accommodating to any measure of comfort give the situation.

While the crowd was glad young Otonashi was alive, the scene was a bit more grotesque then some of the onlookers could handle. A few people struggled to hide their horror from staring at what resembled a human pin cushion drenched in blood. Others like Captain Zaraki were unfazed by the gore. In fact he had his best – I told you so – face on and was shamelessly displaying the expression. Everyone waited to see if the battle would be called off citing medical reasons. No one from the sidelines would have objected to the decision. For once all the materialized zanpakto present had nothing to say. They silently observed the committee table as intently as the shinigami were.

There was no signal from the overseers to cancel the match which was surprising to a decent percentage of the viewers. Whether or not the battle was considered to remain in session didn't seem to matter to the combatants in question. Renji was too relieved to not be a murderer to glance over at those in charge of the day's events. Kiara was intent on removing some of the shards of blood crystal so her sword's restorative abilities could seal the wounds.

Then, as if from nowhere, the thought hit Kiara how she had almost perished from her own attack and the responsible party was within throwing distance. Anger welled up inside until it erupted and was directed at an unsuspecting red headed lieutenant. Renji, who was still on his hands and knees from stopping mid crawl, stared at his opponent with mouth wide open. Beyond the point of caring to restrain herself one iota, Kiara began to let Renji have it for doing something so incredibly stupid. Her words were accompanied by handfuls of removed blood daggers being hurled in the fool's direction.

The Squad 6 lieutenant reeled back to a seated position, freeing up his hands and arms to defend himself from the onslaught. He had not fully anticipated this kind of reaction. Normally a near death experience freaks a person out and they withdraw into themselves or typically, in the case of recent academy graduates, cry profusely. The initial cursing under her breath from shock wasn't a stretch as far as reasonable reactions go. Once his adversary's swearing and mutterings to herself became more audible Renji expected this was the point where the mental breakdown sets in.

This person did not break down. Instead, as soon as she could see straight, Kiara was throwing a tantrum (and things) like a child. As much as he knew he deserved to be struck with a few of the shards of crystalized blood the Lieutenant was not fully prepared for the rant which came along with the hurled projectiles.

"You Stupid, Idiotic, fool of a lieutenant. You could have killed me you degenerate bastard! Of all the moronic decisions you could have made you just had to go with the most likely to kill us!  
People who suck at kidou shouldn't be trying kidou, or are you too dense to know that?  
What were you thinking? Forget that, _were_ you thinking? What am I saying, of course you weren't thinking. If you were you wouldn't have tried kidou in the first place. Are you even capable of rational thought?  
Don't answer that! Just keep your mouth shut and let me hit you!  
I said don't move damn you!"

This was followed by a stream of unintelligible sounds of frustration and shouting. All sense of decorum was completely lost at this point. Some of the shinigami and committee members from high ranking families were appalled by the display. A large majority of the rest of crowd found it amusing or downright hilarious. A few of the spectators cheered the female on. No matter what the reaction you can be sure this was by far the most memorable match up of the day. There was also talk of who could have influenced the angry girl's word choices and phrasing. Currently it was tie between people from the poor area where she had grown up and Zaraki's Squad since she had been assigned to the squad's barracks for training exercises recently.

With his opponent acting juvenile and the older shinigami tried to get past the barrage of insults. Renji attempted to apologize but the young woman was uninterested and wouldn't let him continue.

"Don't you go and try to apologize! Like that would cut it!  
And was your grand plan if I actually died? Huh asshole?  
Apologies don't bring people back from the dead!"

A very large blood dagger punctuated the last comment by grazing Renji's sword arm and leaving a deep gash. For the moment the man decided it best to shut up. He had not completely forgotten most of Seireitei was staring at him. Anything the lieutenant said or did now would not soon be forgotten and Lieutenant Abarai did not want to embarrass himself further.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kazekurenai could no longer tolerate her wielder's childish antics.

'_Compose yourself_!' she chastised.

"Screw that," Kiara replied hotly.

'_All the Captains and important members of society, not to mention all those who look up to you are watching. If that is not trouble enough, if you don't control yourself, even if you were declared the victor, they may still yet refuse to grant you an officer's position. Does that not bother you_?'

"At the moment …. NO."

'_What can I do to get through to you_?' Kazekurenai pleaded.

"Nothing."

'_Please refrain from vocalizing your responses. You must appear insane talking to yourself_.'

Kiara's outbursts became harsher and angrier.  
"Like I care! Let them think that."

The zanpakto spirit wasn't wrong. People were questioning her state of mind.

"Is it just me or has that girl fighting Renji lost it?" Ichigo asked his friends.  
Others were having similar thoughts.

"She appears to be arguing with someone but it isn't Renji," Ishida responded.

"Her zanpakto, maybe?" Chad suggested.

"It's possible," Rukia confirmed before continuing. "Hers seems to have retreated back inside of her unlike mine and the others."

Around the arena shinigami were jumping to the same conclusion on how Kiara was conferring with her zanpakto rather than nothing or a hallucination brought on by traumatic blood loss.

"Do you argue with Zangetsu?" Orihime asked Kurosaki.

"Well, yeah, sometimes," he replied. "But not in front of other people or out loud. Our zanpakto can understand our thoughts so you wouldn't have to yell like that for it to hear you."

"I wonder what it's saying," Orihime thought out loud. Her friends would be lying if they said they weren't curious as well.

* * *

Internally, Kazekurenai continued her attempt to calm the girl down.  
'_Becoming agitated is not beneficial to your current state of health. You are wasting valuable energy which should be dedicated to healing these wounds. We are almost out of reiatsu. Please become composed and rest. Proper medical care should be obtained as quickly as possible_.'

Kiara was dismissive of the commentary.  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Ignoring her zanpakto, Kiara instead reached up toward the shards in her chest. Grabbing hold of one she reduced the whole connected grouping back to a fluid state. The crystals burst like balloons, not shattered like glass would. Blood spurted all over the female shinigami's body creating an unsettling scene. Some of the blood was reabsorbed by the sword blade as soon as Kiara allowed her hand to touch a part of the metal. Enough of the crimson liquid remained on her clothes, body, and the arena floor to grant her a terrifying appearance.

Kiara addressed her zanpakto in reference to the destruction of the blood daggers.  
"That better?"

'_Only just. You still have lost more blood than I can regenerate for you. It would be in our best interest if you forfeit and request medical assistance_.'

The young woman couldn't believe such a suggestion would be posed.  
"WHAT? No way! NEVER! How could you even suggest that?"

The zanpakto answered the challenge in a very matter-of-fact manner.  
'_Because you are almost out of strength, reiatsu, and blood. There isn't much more I can do for this body on my own as things are now. I don't have what I require to properly handle this situation_.'

Kiara was very serious for a moment as she offered an alternative.  
"Then what if I get you what you need?"

'_You are not actually suggesting_ ….'  
Kazekurenai was too in disbelief to finish her statement.

The answer to the unfinished question was firm and sure.  
"Yes. I am."

'_I don't consider that to be a wise decision. He is a lieutenant who achieved Bankai. We may not be able to contain it_.'

"One way to find out."

The spirit of the blade continued to protest.  
'_I strongly advise against it._'

Once again Kiara became agitated at being contradicted.  
"And I'm telling you it will work!"

'_What assurance do you have_?'

"None. Don't need it. Trust me on this."  
The words were rushed but the sentiment behind them was confident, perhaps too confident for someone in her situation.

'_This is too risky. If we fail the consequences will be most dire_.'  
Concern tinged the sword's words.

The wielder still would not listen to reason.

"I don't need a lecture. I can do this. WE can do this. It's not up for debate, so don't try and stop me. There isn't time for arguing."

'_And yet you continue to do so. You won't succeed without my help_.'

"Then help me!" the impatient girl demanded.

Her weapon refused to budge on the subject.  
'_I don't want to do anything that will put your life any further into danger_.'

"So cooperate already."

'_Why_?'

Stubborn as ever Kiara declared, "I'm doing this whether I have your approval or not."

'_You are acting out of a selfish and childish sense of pride. This isn't like you_.'

"Don't you think I know that? For once in our life let me be out of character and do something selfish. After what's happened between us you owe me that much. Believe in me as I do you."

The zanpakto was silent.

"Please Kazekurenai."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Next chapter - Kiara's plan for how to continue the battle unfolds**.**

There won't be as long as gap between this and the next chapter.

'

_**Side Note:**_ If you like my writing style check out my profile for information on fanfictions I have written for other fandoms and general announcements for all my stories and upcoming chapters before they are posted. Most of my fanfics are anime/manga related (Naruto, Hetalia, Free!, G Gundam) and span multiple genres but there are ones for a cartoon (Thundercats), a movie (The Matrix), and a video game (Fire Emblem Awakening) as well. Eventually I'll expand to ones for TV shows and Books too.


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